RENEWAL
RENEWAL
Romans 12:2; Colossians 3:9 - 11; Titus 3:4 - 7
JT The subject before us is renewal. It is said in Hebrews 8:13 that the state of things under the old covenant became aged; so also christianity apart from the principle of renewal must grow old, and this applies not only to what we call the general profession, but to those of us who are really believers. Unless we maintain the principle of renewal we shall grow old and become stale, even in our meetings together. The passage in Colossians 3:10 speaks about the “new” man, which here signifies ‘young’, or ‘fresh’.
Ques Would you tell us the difference between the two words used in Greek and translated by the word “new”?
JT The “new man” in Colossians 3:10, as we have just seen, suggests youth and freshness. The other word translated “new” suggests what is entirely different, in contrast to what is old. We should be fresh and young in our christianity, and also different from current religion.
Ques In John 3, we have the new birth, something entirely new. Would you say that what we have here is the continuation of what is presented in the new birth?
JT In John 3, in the expression “born again”, we have yet another word, meaning ‘from above’, or ‘from the beginning’, that is, entirely different, for the whole being is affected. God is not making over again the old man. According to John 2 there were those who believed on Christ’s name because of His signs, but it says the Lord “did not commit himself unto them”. Many have been affected by christianity; they have been mentally affected by it and abandoned their earlier religions, but as not born again they are not to be trusted. Hence the truth of the new birth is immediately introduced, which is in principle the new man. It is said, however, that the new man is created, so that new birth is the beginning of the thing. The new man spoken of in Colossians and Ephesians is parallel with the doctrine of new birth. New birth, however, contemplates the family side; the word ‘birth’ implies that; but the new man is a creation. Adam was “of God” (Luke 3:38) on the family line, but he was also part of the creation; so that he is a creature as well as belonging to the family of God.
What is in mind in Romans 12 is the renewal of the mind, and in Colossians renewal of knowledge. In Titus it is the renewal of the Holy Spirit, which is a great general thought, not specific as are the other two.
The mind has a great place in Romans. In the end of chapter 7 the believer is seen as having control of his mind; he says, “So then I myself with the mind serve God’s law”. Each believer should be in control of his mind.
Ques What is the difference between the mind and the intelligence? The two words are used in the first two verses of Romans 12.
JT “Which is your intelligent service” (verse 1) and then “the renewing of your mind” (verse 2); is that which you mean? Intelligence implies the mind as active in a measured way; hence the service is morally such as it should be, and based upon the teaching which has preceded. In verse 2 it is the thinking faculty; so that it is really a member of a man. Hence in 1 Corinthians 2:16 we, believers, are said to have “the mind of Christ”; it is the same word as here (verse 2) and it designates the [p. 300] intelligent faculty with its thoughts (see note, New Translation). A person newly converted requires the renewal of his mind; in the end of Romans 7 he has control over it. Men naturally under Satan have their minds darkened. Chapter 7 shows that the believer is clear; he is morally right, for he says: “I myself with the mind serve God’s law”; that is not the ten commandments, but whatever may come from God authoritatively; he is subject to it. In that way he becomes a board in the tabernacle, and the Spirit, as mentioned so frequently in chapter 8, supports him in this. The Spirit is implied in chapter 12: “be transformed by the renewing of your mind”; that would be by the power of the Spirit. It preserves the believer from staleness. There is constant need of freedom from the darkening influences of the world. Hence our conversation is to be fresh and spiritual, so that, when we are assembled together, there may be freshness in all that comes out. The use we make of our bodies here is said to be “intelligent service”. We are to present our bodies a living sacrifice; that would be in accord with the renewed mind, as over against being conformed to this world. If we imitate this world in our clothes and in our manners, our minds are shown not to be renewed.
Rem The believer is in danger of losing his freshness, as the nazarite was.
JT Hence the nazarite was not to drink wine. That, of course, is not literal but spiritual, for the Lord Himself drank wine literally. Therefore, it alludes to what would stimulate us in a worldly sense. Abstinence from wine would mean disallowance of the stimulating forces of nature. But wine is also a type of spiritual stimulation; it accompanied certain offerings (Numbers 15:1 - 12).
Ques Would the young man, at the end of Mark, “sitting on the right, clothed in a white robe”, be [p. 301] an example of youthfulness, freshness and non-conformity to this world?
JT He represents what is particularly needed in those of us who serve, and the two men in white at the ascension (Acts 1:10) represent the developed state of purity which is proper to christianity.
Ques What would the wine at the marriage in Cana suggest?
JT It has just been remarked that wine is also typical of what is spiritually stimulating. It was to accompany certain meat-offerings (Numbers 15). There are graded offerings in that chapter, and the wine was to be increased according to the size of the offering. The wine in John 2 would have a spiritual significance; it alludes to the millennial joy that Christ will introduce presently; it alludes to what will be set up in the millennium on the earth, as being the last dispensation it will afford most joy. The good wine is kept for the end. This marriage scene is millennial.
Ques What is the meaning of the drink-offering which is added to the burnt offering or to the sacrifice?
JT It is for divine satisfaction.
Rem There is the thought of joy.
JT Yes, what Christ is to God. How stimulating and satisfying Christ as Man here was to God! When Jacob set up a pillar at Bethel (Genesis 28) he anointed it, but there was no drink-offering. When he returned to Bethel twenty years later (Genesis 35) he poured a drink-offering on the pillar which he erected this second time. In the first scripture God was in heaven and Jacob on earth, but in the second scripture God came down and stood by Jacob to communicate great things to him. Jacob would thus know that he was pleasing to God, and hence he poured a drink-offering on the pillar. It was the [p. 302] house of God. The house of God must afford pleasure to God. Hence where a drink-offering was connected with an offering, it was never to be lacking. So, when we come together in assembly, as pleasing God in our every day walk, we have the sense in assembly that we do please Him. Even together as we are now in the Spirit, we provide pleasure to God. It is not only that God is here to help us, but He is here to have joy Himself with us.
Ques What difference is there between the two expressions, “If anyone be in Christ, there is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17) and “having put on the new man”?
JT The expression ‘new creation’ is a wider thought than the new man, the latter belongs to the new creation. The whole realm of God is created anew, and there “all things are of God” (2 Corinthians 5:18). The new man is in the midst of the old creation as a testimony. Hence the moral characteristics are given, more particularly in Ephesians 4:20: “But ye have not thus learnt the Christ, if ye have heard him and been instructed in him according as the truth is in Jesus; namely your having put off according to the former conversation the old man which corrupts itself according to the deceitful lusts; and being renewed in the spirit of your mind; and your having put on the new man, which according to God is created in truthful righteousness and holiness”. The “truthful righteousness and holiness” here are contemplated as moral qualities, whereas the characteristics of new creation are stated to be, “If any one be in Christ, there is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold all things have become new: and all things are of the God who has reconciled us”, that is, as reconciled, we are brought in under God’s eye for His pleasure; but in the new creation itself all things have become new, and all things are of God.
[p. 303] We may now refer to the renewal in Colossians 3, “renewed into full knowledge according to the image of him that has created him”. This brings us on to a wonderful platform in regard of knowledge; it is a very remarkable statement. This is not the kind of knowledge we get in current literature in the world, nor does that literature help us in this knowledge. The religious organisations of christendom make divine knowledge a science. Theology is the science or knowledge of God, and men enter seminaries and universities to acquire knowledge on that principle, so as to become ministers of God. But Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:11, “For who of men hath known the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? thus also the things of God knows no one except the Spirit of God. But we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we may know the things which have been freely given to us of God: which also we speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, communicating spiritual things by spiritual means”. So that the attempt to acquire the knowledge of God by worldly means is useless or worse. To acquire ordinary education, for example the knowledge of languages, is of God if used for the promotion of the knowledge of Himself. We can thank God for the ability which gave us J.N. Darby’s translation of the Bible; but even the translation of the Bible is not exactly the thought of “communicating spiritual things by spiritual means”. Mr. Darby said that in this work he was just a hewer of wood and drawer of water for the congregation; he therefore did not assume that he was applying this high standard of knowledge in this work of translation. We may add, however, that the large measure of spiritual intelligence possessed by J.N.D.
[p. 304] enabled him to give a spiritual stamp to his work which no other translation possesses.
The apostle says here that the new man is “renewed into full knowledge according to the image of him that has created him; wherein there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is everything, and in all”. Christ is not everything in the modern universities; in some of them He is nothing. So that this knowledge is the antidote of all the evil of modernism. It is “according to the image of him that has created him”, and takes us out of all the distinctions that characterise the world — “Christ is everything, and in all”.
Ques Are we not in danger of being marked by one of these features if not by more? Sometimes we think we are clear of nationality, but here we have social distinctions, sects, and civilisations as well.
Ques In the second epistle of Peter we have eight features which characterise the new man, beginning with faith and ending with love, and these features bring us livingly and actively into the knowledge of Christ. Peter’s service at that moment is to remind us of these things. Then Peter speaks of Christ whom he saw on the mount of transfiguration; He was transfigured. Is not that a pattern of this renewal which we are looking at? And to acquire such a renewal day by day Peter speaks to us afterwards of a prophetic word. Is that the road to follow to continue in renewal?
JT Peter’s second epistle represents strikingly what we have been speaking of. He stresses the idea of acquiring certain things by means of other things; that is, you must have one thing in order to have another thing. He says, “To them that have received like precious faith with us through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ” — faith is through righteousness. Then, “Grace and peace be [p. 305] multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. As His divine power has given to us all things which relate to life and godliness” (it is not said that He has given it to us, but His divine power) “through the knowledge of him that has called us by glory and virtue, through which he has given to us the greatest and precious promises, that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature”. Thus Peter in his second letter is dealing with tangible spirituality; showing that certain spiritual qualities come to us through other qualities. It is in this way that the new man is developed in us. Another thing about Peter’s second letter is that he tells us in it for the first time, as far as Scripture relates, of the glory on the mount of transfiguration. He also significantly speaks of “our beloved brother Paul”, (2 Peter 3:15) indicating that what we have had before us includes admiration of the brethren.
Ques Would you say that as he nears heaven, he considers those who are on earth from the highest and most heavenly standpoint?
JT In his youth Peter had presumed to love the Lord more than others. Now he is ready to lay down his life for the Lord; saying that the Lord had showed him that he would die as a martyr. The Lord said, “When thou shalt be old”, indicating that when the brethren grow old, they should increase and not diminish in their spirituality. Peter’s second letter, in this sense, is much more pointed than the first. It is a matter of particular importance for all brothers and sisters as we come near the end, for we are apt to become cloudy and depressed, unless we maintain this freshness of which we have been speaking.
Rem In the family of God according to John’s epistle there are children, young men and fathers, but there are no old [p. 306] men.
JT Yes; but there it is more the idea of the family in its gradations. But Scripture gives a great place to aged believers. It is of great importance to retain faculties in old age, as is shown by certain facts in the Old Testament. It is said of Moses that “his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated” (Deuteronomy 34:7). In Peter’s case the Lord contrasts what marked him in his youth and what would mark him in his old age, so that his advanced years helped rather than hindered him. What we speak of as ripe age does not mean old as we have it in Hebrews 8:13: “that which grows old and aged is near disappearing”. In Ecclesiastes 12:3 we have the description of an aged person about to die: “The keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few ... for man goeth to his age-long home”. We can see that all that is offset in spiritual history in a man like Moses, or in such a man as “Paul the aged”, full of vigour and having no fear of death; his personality was increased by his age, “being such a one as Paul the aged” (Philemon 9). And so with Peter: “when thou shalt be old ...” The full divine thought would be reached in him; there was no suggestion of age weakening him. So his second letter seems to express the vigour of old age. He seems to be brighter at the end than at any time. He refers to the mount of transfiguration as involving “the excellent glory”. I thought it was worth while to go over that ground. We are all getting older, the young ones too, and it is well to have this before us, that although ageing we might be renewed and be maintained in freshness to the end.
The passage in Titus is, as we said, the general reference to the great renewing power — the Holy Spirit — who was so abundantly present at Pentecost, and who, as Paul says, has been “shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour”.
[p. 307] Rem In the last death recorded in detail in the first book of the Bible, that of Jacob, we have an example of one who was brighter at the end than during his whole life.
Ques Do we not see at the end of Malachi what God thinks of these features of freshness in contrast to what had grown old?
JT We see that at the end of Malachi, and at the end of various periods of the testimony, such as at the ends of the lives of Jacob, Moses, David. The Lord has in mind that our dispensation shall not grow old and disappear, but, as is suggested in the expression “the Spirit and the bride”, be maintained in a state of freshness. The bride brings out in a striking manner the thought of freshness. Reference is made to “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” The wife represents rather the side of patient endurance in suffering; she is the Lamb’s wife, which refers to Him in His sufferings, but the bride represents the other side of the position and implies vigour and freshness of affection.